Arizona TV Station Update - May 2010

For the past several years, I have posted on another site a monthly activity summary for television stations that are either based in Arizona or whose signal covers parts of Arizona. Trip has graciously invited me to post the monthly updates on RabbitEars, and I am pleased to do so. It has been an unusually busy month - I believe this is the longest post I have ever had, so we're kicking off Arizona TV Station Updates on RabbitEars with a bang!

KSWT 13.x Yuma (Pappas Arizona License) has been granted a license to cover a construction permit, but the license covers the wrong permit. The grant references a 20 kW license filed in June 2009; that permit has already been covered. KSWT wanted a license to cover their July 2009 permit, which allowed them to increase power to 50 kW.

K14NA-D Globe-Miami (KTVK Inc. [Belo]) has applied for a license to cover its flash cut to digital on its KTVK translator. The station is operating, but the signal still needs some work. I was getting a data stream full of errors despite 100% signal strength, and sometimes the signal suddenly dropped off to zero, then instantly rebounded to 90-100%. Technical specifications: Ch 14; TL 33-20-24 N, 110-52-12 W; ERP 0.49 kW directional; HAAT 700 m.

K41ER Globe (Trinity Broadcasting of Arizona, Inc.) has filed a silent STA, having gone silent on April 7 due to lack of local financial support which TBN believes is caused by the analog-to-digital conversion.

K51IO Bullhead City (Trinity Broadcasting Network) has filed a silent STA, having gone silent on April 13 for the same reason.

K51HV Cottonwood (Trinity Broadcasting of Arizona, Inc.) has filed a silent STA, having gone silent on April 13 for the same reason. However, as of May 30, the station is back on the air.

K57BD Tucson (Trinity Broadcasting of Arizona, Inc.) has filed a silent STA, having gone silent on April 13 for the same reason.

K38IZ-D Phoenix (Spanish Independent Broadcast Network, LLC) appears to have shut down its analog station on channel 53, which had been operating on temporary authority.

K21GC Safford (Telefutura Partnership of Phoenix [Univision]) has lost its signal source, similar to Duncan's channel 53.

K33CG Sierra Vista (Florinda Mae Balfour) is silent. Although formerly a TBN repeater, it is independently-owned and was not affected by the TBN shutdown.

KVPY-LD 45 Prescott (KM Communications, Inc.) is silent. The station has a CP to move to Shaw Butte in Phoenix, but is seeking to move to South Mountain.

The Camp Verde TV Club has shut down its unlicensed translator on channel 62. It is unknown whether or not the station had an STA to operate, as the FCC doesn't always publish STAs in its CDBS database.

All five of Palo Verde TV Club's translators in Blythe CA are silent. Their stations had brought the signals of KPNX, KSAZ, KPHO, KTVK and KAET to Quartzsite AZ, Ehrenberg AZ and Blythe. The Yuma/El Centro stations are available OTA in Blythe and Ehrenberg with a good antenna, but not in Quartzsite.

K48JD Santa Clara UT (High Plains Broadcasting License Company LLC) is silent. The station was approved to flash cut to digital last month, but neither the analog or digital signal are present.

KGHD-LP 6 St. George UT (Obadia Porras) is on the air, having completed its move from channel 67. The station continues to broadcast TBN. As an independently-owned affiliate, it was not affected by TBN shutting down about 100 of their O&O repeaters.

XHNSS-TV 7 Nogales SO (Raul Ernesto Osete Espinosa de los Monteros) has changed affiliations, dropping Galavision (XEQ 9 Mexico City) for Cadena Tres (XHTRES 28 Mexico City). The station also has a local presence, broadcasting local news. It is believed that the change occurred last November 1.

Call sign changes

KDTP-LD 46.x Phoenix (Community Television Educators [Daystar]) has changed its call sign to KDPH-LD. When Daystar first applied for companion stations, the Daystar station was Class A and had the call sign KDTP-CA, while the JTV station had the call sign KDTP-LP. Both digital companion stations were originally assigned call sign KDTP-LP.

Construction permits and Special Temporary Authorizations granted

KNJO-LD 6.x (15) Holbrook (KM Communications Inc.), digital companion station KNJO-LP 6 Holbrook, has been granted an extension of its construction permit until July 12.

KWKM-LD 10.x (13) Show Low (KM Communications Inc.), digital companion station KWKM-LP 10 Show Low, has been granted an extension of its construction permit until July 12.

KWSJ-LD 12.x (9) Snowflake (KM Communications Inc.), digital companion station KWSJ-LP 12 Snowflake, has been granted an extension of its construction permit until July 12.

KPVY-LD 45.x Prescott (KM Communications, Inc.) has requested a modification to its construction permit allowing it to move from Yarnell Hill to Shaw Butte. The station is now requesting to move its transmitter to the South Mountain antenna farm and increase power from 5.49 kW to 8 kW. Technical specifications: Ch 45; TL 33-20-4 N, 112-3-33 W; ERP 8 kW directional; HAAT 463 m.

K09KV Prescott (Meredith Corporation) has requested another six-month extension of its displacement construction permit to flash cut to digital on channel 30, again, due to FCC inaction on the proposed rulemaking that would allow KCFG 9.x (32) Flagstaff to operate on channel 9. If the rulemaking is allowed, K09KV would be displaced, but if not, the station could continue operation on channel 9 rather than moving to channel 30. In the meantime, KCFG is silent and may have ceased operations altogether, as their storefront studio is no longer occupied.

CTB Spectrum Services Four LLC has filed an application for a new LP DTV station to serve Yuma. I don't see how this application is granted, as it would cause interference to XHRCS-TV 50 San Luis Rio Colorado SO. Technical specifications: Ch 50; TL 32-41-41 N, 114-36-45 W; ERP 15 kW non-directional; HAAT 42 m.

CTB Spectrum Services Four LLC has filed an application for a new LP DTV station to serve Yuma. An application for channel 51 several years ago was dismissed due to Mexican objection. Technical specifications: Ch 51; TL 32-41-41 N, 114-36-45 W; ERP 1 kW non-directional; HAAT 42 m.

Landover 2 LLC has filed four applications for new co-located LP DTV stations, located along I-10, to serve Salome. The actual location is about 10 miles south of Salome, around milepost 60, but Mapquest lists the site's address as Salome. Technial specifications: Chs: 16, 18, 28 and 39; TL: 33-35-26 N, 113-28-15 W; ERP 1.5 kW non-directional; HAAT m.

Landover 2 LLC has filed four applications for new co-located LP DTV stations, located near the junction of I-10 and US 60, to serve Parker. The actual location is about 40 miles southeast of Parker and about 10 miles east of Quartzsite, but Mapquest lists the site's address as Parker. The mountaintop electronics site used to be home to the old Quartzsite translator stations. Technial specifications: Chs: 23, 30, 35 and 44; TL: 33-40-4 N, 114-3-31 W; ERP 1 kW non-directional; HAAT m.

Landover 2 LLC has filed four applications for new co-located LP DTV stations, located along AZ 95, about 2 miles north of I-10, to serve Parker. The actual location is about 35 miles south of Parker, in Quartzsite. Technial specifications: Chs: 21, 41, 46 and 50; TL: 33-42-13 N, 114-13-4 W; ERP 0.8 kW non-directional; HAAT m.

KM Communications, Inc. has filed an application for a new LP DTV station to serve Yuma. The application should not need Mexican coordination, as it proposes to use channel 7, formerly used by analog station KVYE. It would broadcast from a tower SE of the airport. Technical specifications: Ch 7; TL 32-38-31 N, 114-33-34 W; ERP 0.3 kW non-directional; HAAT 71 m.

KM Communications, Inc. has filed a major change application to modify its 2000 application for an analog station to serve Yuma on channel 46 to a digital station. The only broadcast parameter that would change from its analog application is that the antenna would be two feet higher. It is doubtful that the application would pass muster with the Mexican government, as XHILA 66 Mexicali BCN is constructing digital facilities on channel 46. Technical specifications: Ch 46; TL 32-41-41 N, 114-36-47 W; ERP 10 kW non-directional; HAAT 40 m.

K30BQ Needles CA (Needles Community TV Club, Inc.) has filed an application to flash cut to digital. The station is already broadcasting a digital signal, but Mohave County, who seems to manage the transmitter, appears to have overlooked this station among their many flash cut applications. A bit more powerful than the 6- and 7-Watt power output Mohave County specified for their other DTV translators. Technical specifications: Ch 30; TL 35-2-9 N, 114-22-14 W; ERP 0.631 kW directional; HAAT 455 m.

Tri-State Christian Radio has amended its application for an original construction permit for a station to serve Needles CA. Originally to transmit at 5.53 kW in a non-directional pattern that served the southern Mohave Valley area up to Bullhead City, the proposed station will now transmit at 1.43 kW in a directional pattern that serves just the immediate Needles area and has its main lobe to the west into mainly uninhabited area. The FCC determined that the original proposed facilities would interfere with K42EU-D Topock. New technical specifications: Ch 41; TL 34-49-43 N, 114-36-38 W; ERP 1.43 kW directional; HAAT -53 m (30 m AGL).

KTUD-CA 25 Las Vegas NV (Las Vegas TV Partners LLC) has requested an extension of its silent STA for an additional six months. The station would like to retain its Class A status as a digital-only station, but is holding on to its defunct analog license while it waits for the FCC to finalize the rules for digital Class A.

R & D Media Group, Inc. has filed a major change application to modify its 2000 application for an analog station to serve Mesquite NV on channel 38 to a digital station to serve Santa Clara UT on channel 19. The proposed transmitter location is not changing; it is just being reoriented to the north and east, toward Santa Clara, instead of to the southwest, toward Mesquite. The signal is no longer predicted to serve Arizona. Technical specifications: Ch 19; TL 37-9-19 N, 113-52-57 W; ERP 0.15 kW directional; HAAT 1106 m.

R & D Media Group, Inc. has filed a major change application to modify its 2000 application for an analog station to serve St. George UT on channel 27 to a digital station to serve Hurricane UT on channel 17. The transmitter location is a peak to the north of Hurricane with the proposed broadcast pattern toward the south. Theoretically, the signal would serve parts of Arizona near St. George and also Colorado City AZ, but the FCC maps do not take terrain into account. Technical specifications: Ch 17; TL 37-17-22 N, 113-16-33 W; ERP 1 kW directional; HAAT 163 m.

Licenses canceled

KPHE-LP 44 Phoenix (Lotus TV of Phoenix LLC) has surrendered its analog television license. The station has been operating exclusively in digital on channel 16 for several months.

K57KG-D St. George UT (University of Utah) has surrendered the license for its digital companion channel, which it had held since December 2008. The cancellation coincides with the grant of a flash cut application for K32FQ, to which K57KG-D had been a companion.

Applications dismissed

The FCC has dismissed the digital flash cut application for K02HR Bullhead City (Mohave County Board of Supervisors). The original application was predicted to cause interference to co-channel full-power station KVBC 3.x (2) Las Vegas NV. Mohave County did not timely file an amendment of its requested operating parameters or a statement showing that no interference would occur. Mohave County has applied for displacement on channel 3, but has already flash cut the station, a KAET 8 Phoenix translator, on channel 2, possibly under STA from the FCC.

The FCC has dismissed the digital flash cut application for K09KG Bullhead City (Mohave County Board of Supervisors). The original application was predicted to cause interference to co-channel full-power station KVVU 5.x (9) Henderson NV. Mohave County did not timely file an amendment of its requested operating parameters or a statement showing that no interference would occur. Mohave County has applied for displacement on channel 8, but has already flash cut the station, a KPNX 12 Mesa translator, on channel 9, again, possibly under STA.

The FCC has dismissed the digital flash cut application for K11LX Bullhead City (Mohave County Board of Supervisors). The original application was predicted to cause interference to co-channel full-power station KLVX 10.x (11) Las Vegas NV. Mohave County did not timely file an amendment of its requested operating parameters or a statement showing that no interference would occur. Mohave County has applied for displacement on channel 5.

The FCC has dismissed a displacement application for KBFY-LP 41 Fortuna (Yuma) (Powell Meredith Communications Company) to move to Henderson NV and operate in analog on channel 53. KBFY-LP was displaced by KYMA's pre-transition facilities and had been unable to secure alternate facilities. In one case, it waited for 3 years before the Mexican government objected, so the station tried to move to Henderson, outside the Mexican coordination zone, but did so with a minor change application. The FCC initially granted the application, then rescinded it seven months later, correctly claiming that the relocation was a major change, not minor. PMCC objected, but the FCC has reaffirmed its decision and dismissed the application.

Expiring construction permits

The displacement construction permit to move K67HO Laughlin NV (Smoke and Mirrors) to channel 26 expired on May 14. The station has been silent since December 22 due to financial hardship.

The original construction permit for K23JJ Kingman (Advance Ministries) is due to expire on June 13. The station filed the application in August 2000, even though a displacement permit had been filed by Mohave County a month earlier to move K60AX to channel 23. The K60AX CP was granted and the station became K23FV in 2002. The K23JJ CP was granted in June 2007 even though it was co-channel to an existing station in the same town, due to an agreement reached between Advanced Ministries and Mohave County in April 2007 whereby Mohave County would drop its objection to the Advance Ministries application, and Advance Ministries would apply for displacement relief, which they did three days after the CP was granted. The FCC has never acted on the displacement application.

Licenses renewed

KNXV-TV 15.x Phoenix (Scripps Media Inc.) has been granted renewal of its broadcasting license. The station filed for renewal during the filing period for Arizona which ended June 1, 2006. In addition, licenses for Scripps-owned translator stations K44CN Cottonwood, K47DJ Prescott, K52CM Flagstaff and K57FY Kingman were also renewed.

DTV status updates

KPDF-CA 41 Phoenix (Una Vez Mas Phoenix License LLC) has announced that it will be going in digital on June 3. The station has an STA to flash cut to digital pending approval of its application, which requires Mexican coordination. KPDF claims to have lost advertisers due to being the last major Spanish-language network station without a digital signal.

Mohave County has converted more of its analog translators to digital. Last month, NBC and PBS translators converted, plus KLAS translator K31BI. This month, CBS and Fox translators have converted:

K30GG Chloride (KPHO) - 1 watt ERP.

K49EU Chloride (KSAZ) - 1 watt.

K43GU Dolan Springs (KPHO) - 11 watts.

K41FT Kingman (KPHO) - 7 watts.

K48AY Kingman (KSAZ) - 7 watts.

It is likely that the Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, Topock and Meadview translators have also converted, but I was not able to survey those.

KSAZ repeater K31EA Littlefield, however, is still analog.

KEEN-CA 17 Las Vegas (Christian Communications of Chicagoland, Inc.) is now operating in digital, having received an STA to convert. The station has moved transmission site from NW of the city to the main antenna farm in Henderson, so its signal now reaches Arizona. KEEN continues to broadcast the Total Life Network.

Notes

CTB Spectrum Services is attempting to replace the tall tower model of broadcasting with a low tower, low power model, similar to cellular, and based on Distributed Transmission System (DTS) technology. CTB stands for Cellular Terrestrial Broadband. Landover 2 LLC looks to be affiliated with CTB in this endeavor, but Landover has filed an application for channel 51 in Yuma that competes with a CTB application. The signals will include the mandatory OTA television stream (most likely a home shopping or infomercial channel?) but will probably use the majority of the bandwidth for data or other subscription services. When pitching their idea to the FCC, they claimed that in their model, there would be no need to take spectrum away from broadcast television. A fascinating concept; will it work?